Reviews

Spent a lovely lunchtime at the wheatsheaf with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed wonderfully home cooked meal, large menu to choose from. Will definitely go again.

-review by Jackie Edwards

Spent a lovely lunchtime at the wheatsheaf with friends. We thoroughly enjoyed wonderfully home cooked meal, large menu to choose from. Will definitely go again.

I spent a late summer’s afternoon searching for a decent pub in Eastbourne. It was an afternoon wasted. I’ll never get that time back.

If only I had gone armed with the knowledge that one of the area’s best boozers – the Wheatsheaf – lies just outside the town in a Morris Dancing-loving backwater called Willingdon, I would have donned my bells and buckles and boogied on down there in an instant.

I consulted Google, and one taxi ride later I was there.

The Wheatsheaf looks charming and quaint on the outside and it doesn’t disappoint on the inside, ticking a lot of the boxes you would hope from an attractive village pub – it has a low ceiling, dark wooden beams, character, history and a relaxing ambience.

This freehouse embraces eccentricity and this is evident during the summer months when Morris Dancers make May Day their own and those who love a spot of barrell rolling prepare for their big day in August.

There is a weekly Jam Night on Wednesdays. But those looking to join like-minded souls to discuss the pros and cons of various food preservatives will be disappointed. Instead you can expect to find musicians getting together for a good old sing-song.

-review by Unknown

I spent a late summer’s afternoon searching for a decent pub in Eastbourne. It was an afternoon wasted. I’ll never get that time back.

If only I had gone armed with the knowledge that one of the area’s best boozers – the Wheatsheaf – lies just outside the town in a Morris Dancing-loving backwater called Willingdon, I would have donned my bells and buckles and boogied on down there in an instant.

I consulted Google, and one taxi ride later I was there.

The Wheatsheaf looks charming and quaint on the outside and it doesn’t disappoint on the inside, ticking a lot of the boxes you would hope from an attractive village pub – it has a low ceiling, dark wooden beams, character, history and a relaxing ambience.

This freehouse embraces eccentricity and this is evident during the summer months when Morris Dancers make May Day their own and those who love a spot of barrell rolling prepare for their big day in August.

There is a weekly Jam Night on Wednesdays. But those looking to join like-minded souls to discuss the pros and cons of various food preservatives will be disappointed. Instead you can expect to find musicians getting together for a good old sing-song.

Very friendly atmosphere, you can come here and be guaranteed to see a friendly face. Very local pub - everyone that comes here says hello. The Wheatsheaf have done a lot to reach out to the community, holding lots of charitable events. Happy to come here by myself. Excellent.

-review by Alexandra Stanley

Very friendly atmosphere, you can come here and be guaranteed to see a friendly face. Very local pub - everyone that comes here says hello. The Wheatsheaf have done a lot to reach out to the community, holding lots of charitable events. Happy to come here by myself. Excellent.

The pub has a great feel with a vast selection of alcoholic beverages. All the staff are very welcoming and always smiling. Great service and good food, plus everyone is so friendly.

-review by Dean Buckley

The pub has a great feel with a vast selection of alcoholic beverages. All the staff are very welcoming and always smiling. Great service and good food, plus everyone is so friendly.

A lovely quaint little pub in a lovely little village. Set to a beautiful backdrop of the South Downs. It serves great food all day every day and has a large selection of wine and ales. The staff are always friendly and welcoming, there is always something going on from quizes to live music. The landlord is always thinking of unique things to make the pub different to other pubs i.e. serve your own drinks as seen on the BBC news.

-review by Joanne Sansom

A lovely quaint little pub in a lovely little village. Set to a beautiful backdrop of the South Downs. It serves great food all day every day and has a large selection of wine and ales. The staff are always friendly and welcoming, there is always something going on from quizes to live music. The landlord is always thinking of unique things to make the pub different to other pubs i.e. serve your own drinks as seen on the BBC news.

Always something going on at The Wheatsheaf! Too much for my bank balance!! Comedy nights, quiz nights, competitions, live music, community events - the range is staggering. The food is great and the staff friendly and helpful. It is a fabulous place to meet old friends and make new ones over a well looked after pint. 10 out of 10 - not a bad word to say!!!

-review by Harry Gent

Always something going on at The Wheatsheaf! Too much for my bank balance!! Comedy nights, quiz nights, competitions, live music, community events - the range is staggering. The food is great and the staff friendly and helpful. It is a fabulous place to meet old friends and make new ones over a well looked after pint. 10 out of 10 - not a bad word to say!!!

Myself, Bear (James Padget), Slot (Nigel White) always enjoy a pint or two at the Wheatsheaf. Be it a pint of beer or Cider for Bear, the drink is always great. Good food too.
-review by Adrian Davis

Myself, Bear (James Padget), Slot (Nigel White) always enjoy a pint or two at the Wheatsheaf. Be it a pint of beer or Cider for Bear, the drink is always great. Good food too.

What an excellent pub to be the 1000th pub that I’ve reviewed on Pubs Galore. I see it as proof that my efforts have not gone unrewarded, and as a sign that I should continue zealously my efforts. Spotting this pub down a side street off the main Willingdon Village road at dusk, illuminated in a warm and welcoming way, it was a no-brainer when one one of my companions suggested we drop in for a swift one. The structure and internal layout remains as described by other posters. The door in the centre through which we entered is still signed as the Public Bar, with the connected room on the right probably originally being the Saloon Bar. It’s low-ceilinged and dark-beamed as any self-respecting country pub should be. I detected something of a musical theme, with a piano at the back of the right hand bar, with an accordion resting on it and a guitar suspended from the ceiling. The bar counter in the saloon bar section, and the windows at the back, look relatively modern, but the rest appears original or at least pretty ancient. The walls are covered with all manner of interesting prints. All the tables bore a small vase containing a sprig of carnations, which Mrs R considered to be a big plus factor. The ale selection is at least as good as experienced by previous reviewers. They had Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey’s Best, Skinner’s Betty Stogs, and Beachy Head Legless Rambler on handpump, supplemented by a cask of Harvey’s Old gravity dispensed on the bar counter. I didn’t see a menu, but there was a Sunday buffet available (evidently also available on Boxing Day) for £6.50 a pop. I didn’t get a close look at what was available, but I did see a range of sandwiches as well as a selection of cheeses. We really enjoyed our short sojourn here and I for one would be delighted if I could find my way here for another pint or two sometime. -review by Rex Ward

What an excellent pub to be the 1000th pub that I’ve reviewed on Pubs Galore. I see it as proof that my efforts have not gone unrewarded, and as a sign that I should continue zealously my efforts. Spotting this pub down a side street off the main Willingdon Village road at dusk, illuminated in a warm and welcoming way, it was a no-brainer when one one of my companions suggested we drop in for a swift one. The structure and internal layout remains as described by other posters. The door in the centre through which we entered is still signed as the Public Bar, with the connected room on the right probably originally being the Saloon Bar. It’s low-ceilinged and dark-beamed as any self-respecting country pub should be. I detected something of a musical theme, with a piano at the back of the right hand bar, with an accordion resting on it and a guitar suspended from the ceiling. The bar counter in the saloon bar section, and the windows at the back, look relatively modern, but the rest appears original or at least pretty ancient. The walls are covered with all manner of interesting prints. All the tables bore a small vase containing a sprig of carnations, which Mrs R considered to be a big plus factor. The ale selection is at least as good as experienced by previous reviewers. They had Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey’s Best, Skinner’s Betty Stogs, and Beachy Head Legless Rambler on handpump, supplemented by a cask of Harvey’s Old gravity dispensed on the bar counter. I didn’t see a menu, but there was a Sunday buffet available (evidently also available on Boxing Day) for £6.50 a pop. I didn’t get a close look at what was available, but I did see a range of sandwiches as well as a selection of cheeses. We really enjoyed our short sojourn here and I for one would be delighted if I could find my way here for another pint or two sometime.

A great little country style pub. It has quite a reputation for music and other entertainments, there always seems to be a lot going on and what is nice, they do a lot to engage with the local community so one of the regulars told us.

Excellent pub food but don't expect restaurant service. It was very very busy the night we ate, the atmosphere was buzzing, it's a very busy bustling kind of place where eaters mix with drinkers. We have since become somewhat regular ourselves and have taken friends to the open mic night on a Wednesday evening which is great but again, very busy.

-review by Frances Clark

A great little country style pub. It has quite a reputation for music and other entertainments, there always seems to be a lot going on and what is nice, they do a lot to engage with the local community so one of the regulars told us.

Excellent pub food but don't expect restaurant service. It was very very busy the night we ate, the atmosphere was buzzing, it's a very busy bustling kind of place where eaters mix with drinkers. We have since become somewhat regular ourselves and have taken friends to the open mic night on a Wednesday evening which is great but again, very busy.